


A Helping Hand

by BirdAndTheCage



Series: Reader And The Chocobros [1]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Basically This Got Stuck In My Head And I Had To Write It, Chocobros - Freeform, Gen, Gender-Neutral Pronouns For Reader, Gender-neutral Reader, The Only Ship Here Is Friendship - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-19
Updated: 2016-12-19
Packaged: 2018-09-09 16:41:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,972
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8899933
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BirdAndTheCage/pseuds/BirdAndTheCage
Summary: You call a tow truck for some poor saps pushing a car. What happens next may surprise you.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Basically, I’ve vicariously fallen into FFXV hell. I don’t have a PS4 but I do have Cry’s Let’s Play of this game. He hasn’t beaten the game as of writing this, so take my silly little oneshot with a grain of salt. Or a whole shaker, it’s up to you.  
> Beta'd by the amazing [Ryzi](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Ryzi/profile), who continues to put up with my shit <3

You encountered the group in the hottest part of the day. You had been driving along in the direction of Hammerhead when you spotted something amiss in the distance: a vehicle creeping along at no more than walking speed, being pushed by three people. You slowed down and, checking the other lane first, carefully maneuvered around the car. You couldn't help but turn your head to look as you did so. You caught the eye of the man in the driver’s seat, a blond with a pleading look on his face. You continued around the vehicle, guilt gnawing at you. 

“Oh god dammit,” you muttered and pulled over onto the shoulder, pressing your hazard lights on. You took out your cell phone and checked to see if you had service. By some miracle, you did. You punched in a familiar number. 

“Hammerhead Full Service Station, what can I do ya for?” Cindy answered almost immediately. 

“Hey Cindy,” you greeted the energetic mechanic and give her your name. “I found these poor saps pushing a car in your direction. Mind sending out the tow truck? I’ll cover the cost.”

“Ain’t a problem!” Cindy chirped, always happy to hear from you, “I’ll be out in a jiffy. Jus’ lemme know where y’all are.”

You gave her your best approximation as to how far down the road you were. You cited the last mile marker that you passed as well as what your vehicle and the other vehicle looked like. (Not that Cindy needed much description of your car, she knew it by heart inside and out.) You said goodbye to the mechanic and hung up with a sigh. You shucked off of your jacket, leaving you in a shirt that you had cut the sleeves off of and some shorts. It really was too hot out. 

You exited your car and make your way down the road, keys threaded through your fingers just in case. It never hurt to be cautious. The paranoid part of you was sure that this was all a ruse to murder innocent helpful people, but the rest of you believed that these people had really been in trouble. 

It was a bit of a walk, but eventually you made your way back to where the car was creeping along. You could hear conversation drifting towards you, but you were still too far away to make out what they were saying. Tightening your grip on your keys, you continued walking and called out to them.

“I called a tow truck for you!” 

“My hero!” was the faint response yelled back. 

You chuckled and broke into a light jog. You noticed that the car had stopped moving. As you got closer you could clearly see that the car was surrounded by three males, with a fourth in the driver’s seat. The blond that had been in the driver’s seat was now sprawled out on the ground. In the driver’s seat now was a man with dark brown hair and more muscle than anyone really had a right to. Somehow, paired with the scar on his face, it worked for him. 

“Thank you for your kind assistance,” one of the other two men spoke up. He was on the right side of the car. His accent was clipped and regal-sounding. He pushed up his glasses with gloved hands. You could make out green eyes behind the dusty glasses. Surprisingly, he seemed rather cool and collected for someone who had been pushing a car for who knows how long.

“Seriously,” the blonde on the ground wheezed. “This road just goes on forever.” 

“Yeah, it’s still a few miles to the nearest town,” you inform them, unsure of what to say. You shift your grip on your keys, still slightly wary. 

“You know, we’re not gonna jump you if that’s what you’re worried about,” the man in the driver’s seat said. 

“You know Gladio, that sounds like something someone who wants to jump someone would say,” the blond on the ground said.

‘Gladio’ scoffed, not giving the blond a reply. 

“Yeah, Prompto, scare off the person trying to help us,” the fourth man finally spoke up. You hadn’t noticed, but he too was now on the ground, only he was sitting instead of sprawling. 

“I’m not trying to scare them off! I was just saying!”

“Well your ‘just saying’ makes us seem suspicious now, right?” The black haired man stood and turned to you. He looked familiar, but you couldn’t exactly place him. You had always been horrible with faces. “I’m sorry about my friend. He’s a little… y’know.” 

“What am I Noct? Huh?”

Then it clicked.

“Holy shit, you’re Prince Noctis.”

Silence.

Then, suddenly, the three guys that weren't Noctis burst out in laughter.

You could feel your face flush. You knew it wasn't from the heat of the day. 

“Sorry, um, your Highness, that was rude of me, um, shi-shoot. But yeah anyway tow truck should be here soon!” The last sentence came out in a rushed mess and you felt your face start to flush more. His… Friends? Companions? Were still laughing, but it was dying down a little. 

“It’s alright,” Noctis replied, seemingly ignoring the rest of the guys. “Thanks for helping us out.”

“It’s no problem!” you wave off his thanks hurriedly. “Honestly I’d offer to take a look, having had to repair my own car a few times, but the mechanic I called is leagues better than me. She’ll have you fixed up in no time.” 

You could still feel the flush on your face, but at least the laughter had stopped. 

“So, do you usually call two trucks for people down on their luck?” Prompto asked you. 

“Usually people around here don’t need a tow truck. Speaking of,” you trailed off as Cindy pulled Hammerhead’s one and only tow truck onto the shoulder. 

Cindy called your name out as she stepped out from the cab of the truck. “I haven’t seen you in a hot minute! How’ve ya been?”

“Can’t complain. I’m working over at the chocobo ranch now. Dunno how long it’ll last, but it’s something to do between hunts,” you shrug.

“Aw, well you be safe now, y’hear?” Cindy said as she pulled you in for a hug.

“Always am, Cind,” you laughed. 

Once the hug was over, Cindy turned her attention to the Prince and his companion-friend-people. 

“Well, this’d be why I was waitin’ so long! Lemme hitch ‘er up and take ‘er back to the shop for ya. Best not to keep Paw-paw waitin’.” With the kind of bubbly efficiency that only Cindy produced, the work was divvied up. She would operate the truck, you’d be her spotter, and the guys would help roll the car on. Then you and Cindy would secure the car. 

“Just like old times, right Cind?” You called over the whir of the flatbed of the tow truck angling towards the ground. 

“Yeah, reminds me of the day I first met ya,” she called back, snickering.

“Ane nearly every week after, I know,” you rolled your eyes. Your old car had been a bit… unreliable. “And you're good!” 

The flatbed stopped at the perfect time and you gave Cindy a thumbs up. She hopped out of the cab again and made her way around to direct the guys. 

Short work was made of getting the car onto the flatbed and securing it. You wiped some sweat off of your forehead and gave Cindy an accomplished grin. 

“Now, there’s only room for one’a y’all in the tow truck, two if ya don’t mind bein’ real close,” Cindy said. 

“I can drive you guys the rest of the way, if you don’t mind squeezing in three to the backseat,” you offered. “My car’s not too much of a walk up the road.” 

The four of them looked at each other. Noctis shrugged. 

“Very well. Lean on,” the one with the glasses replied.

“I’ll be waiting for y’all!” Cindy called as she hopped into the cab of the tow truck. 

The five of you walked in silence for a small while.

“Soooo,” Prompto trailed off.

“Yeeees?” you imitated his tone.

“You said something about working with chocobos earlier?” His excitement was barely masked.

“Yep, cute little guys. More work than you’d expect though,” you shrug, glancing over to the blond.

“Iggy, can we go see the chocobos after The Regalia is fixed? Pleeeeease?” Prompto pleaded, grabbing onto the arm of the man with the glasses.

“That is up to Noctis, I believe. He is the one with a wedding to get to, after all,” ‘Iggy’ responded, sounding just a little bit done with Prompto. 

“We’ll see,” was the enigmatic reply form Noctis. 

“Well Prompto, it’s not a no,” Gladio chuckled. 

By now you had reached your car. You unlocked the doors and slipped into the driver’s seat. Quickly, you snatched your jacket off of the passenger's seat. With a sigh, you shrugged it back on. You had no clue how these guys were wearing jackets and long sleeves and black and didn’t look like they were dying of heatstroke. 

“Shotgun!” You heard Prompto yell as he opened the passenger side door. 

“Just leave me some legroom,” Gladio chuckled as he slipped in behind Prompto. 

“Noct, sit in the middle.” Iggy said.

“What? Why?” Noctis asked. You looked out of your window to see that the prince was pouting with his arms crossed. Seriously? This was the prince? 

“Because you are the shortest and I’m sure that they would like to have the best view possible in their mirrors.” The argument was sound. Noctis sighed and slipped into the car with Iggy following suit. 

“Alright, everyone buckled in?” You asked.

“Ooooh right, seatbelts!” Prompto exclaimed. To your utter horror, everyone (except Iggy) had needed your reminder to buckle up. You thought that the prince and his… friends, you decided, would be more concerned with safety. Apparently not. 

Your turned the car on. Adjusting the audio dial with one hand, you quickly turned the volume down. You had a bad habit of blasting your music — an eclectic mix if you were honest — at deafening levels when driving and you figured that you’d save your passenger's ears. You remembered to turn off your hazards because of the annoying ticking sound of your turn signals flashing. And then you and your passengers were en route to Hammerhead. 

The drive was quick, too quick honestly. The group was a riot, especially when they really got to ribbing each other. It was easy to forget that Noctis was a prince. 

“Well, here we are,” you say as you turn your car off, having secured a parking spot by the garage. 

A chorus of thanks met your statement as the guys piled out of your car. 

“Now, what do we owe you for the tow truck?” Ignis asked you. 

“Nothing, it's on me. Least I can do,” you shrug. 

Ignis made a noise in the back of his throat. 

“Call it a favour then, now you guys owe me a solid.” Your statement is met with another slightly dissatisfied noise. 

“Come on Iggy, it's not so bad,” Prompto patted the taller man on the back. 

“I suppose there are worse things to owe than a favour,” Ignis said,the corners of his mouth pulling up into an almost-smile. 

“I suppose so,” you echoed. 

“So, about the chocobos?” Prompto asked, slinging his arm around your shoulders. 

“You can visit any time, really. Wiz will be glad to see you. But, speaking of which, I really should head up there…” you checked the time on your phone and groaned. “Fuck I'm so late.”

You bid the guys farewell as you walked over to your car, a smile on your face. 

You really hoped that they would visit the ranch soon.


End file.
